VncSharp Rocks for Programmatic and Interactive Remote Access from .NET

VncSharp is a C# implementation of the VNC protocol together with a handy visual Remote Desktop .Net widget.

At first, the open-source VNC remote-access solution might seem like a surprising item to need in a Microsoft-based solution.

But once he gets you in the little room, VNC starts telling you that, in exchange for lower performance (than Microsoft’s own RDP), he can get you more flexibility, more features, no licensing issues, and access to remote Macs or *nix hosts. After these arguments (or is it the heat?) VNC looks a lot more persuasive.

Throw in the fact that you can run your VncSharp-enabled apps on Mono, and … well, it would be cool if that bought you a lot. But actually if you aren’t already focused on a Linux solution then the Mono angle is just another bullet.

VncSharp itself, though, works extremely well straight out of the gate.

When you see the documentation page – where the author essentially invites you to read the source to figure out how to drive it – you may be concerned. Or even start to form silent curse words with your lips.

Do not let that stop you. There are demo/sample apps that will show you what you need for basic use cases (e.g., popping open a “remote help” window will only require a line or two). And the source, if you need it, is elegant and straightforward to navigate.

A programmable VNC client is, perhaps, a niche product. VNC on Windows maybe more so. So it’s gratifying to see such a mature and streamlined OSS effort.